Memphis Local, Sports, Business & Food News | Daily Memphian | Opinion - Guest Columnists

Opinion: Too many abuse victims have no legal help. The Tennessee Supreme Court can fix that.

btaylor@hopehousememphis.org (Brandi Taylor) — Sat, 25 Apr 2026 04:00:12 -0500

“Survivors should not have to navigate a legal maze alone to secure their safety. I urge my fellow Memphians to tell the court to expand opportunities to provide legal help.”

McCreery: Germantown deserves full-time leadership

editors@dailymemphian.com (Jon McCreery) — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 04:00:08 -0500

“We need to change our form of government. We need to ensure our city has the full-time leadership needed to meet the demands of today and the expectations of the future.”

Opinion: Arts, culture and the future of the Memphis economy

editors@dailymemphian.com (Anasa Troutman) — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 07:17:58 -0500

“We need to build a cultural plan — a long-term strategy that guides how Memphis and Shelby County builds infrastructure for investment to integrate arts, culture and entertainment into its economic development, urban planning and community life.”

Opinion: The next county mayor must protect pre-K

kandace@first8memphis.org (Kandace Thomas) — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 06:39:17 -0500

“The youngest members of this community did not ask to be born into a budget dispute. They arrived, as all children do, with the expectation that the adults around them would provide what they need to thrive.”

Opinion: DA Mulroy on criminal justice data and accountability

editors@dailymemphian.com (Steve Mulroy) — Thu, 9 Apr 2026 13:54:09 -0500

“Delays in handling cases, jail-intake processing delays, the “solve rate” for crimes, the repeat-offender rate — these are all worthy objects of emphasis ... . But they may not fit the right (so to speak) political agenda.”

Opinion: Memphis must demand more from industrial polluters

editors@dailymemphian.com (LaTricea Adams) — Fri, 3 Apr 2026 15:35:11 -0500

“If a company’s business model depends on the exploitation of a Black city and the enrichment of a few power brokers at the top, we don’t want them here.”

Opinion: Data raises questions about accountability in the criminal justice system

editors@dailymemphian.com (Leslie Taylor) — Wed, 1 Apr 2026 12:39:06 -0500

The performance of the criminal justice system can’t be assessed without knowing the full picture. We have regular and reliable reporting from law enforcement agencies, but why don’t we have the same expectation for the district attorney and court clerks?

Opinion: 'Justice, safety, solidarity, law and order — in Memphis, they have to be the same project'

editor@dailymemphian.com (Christian Man) — Sun, 22 Mar 2026 15:46:38 -0500

“Amid the frustrating recruitment challenges facing the Memphis Police Department, I would like to turn our attention to a different critical element of our public safety architecture: the frontline civic organizations engaged in violence-reduction efforts.”

Outgoing FedEx St. Jude Championship leader: 'To the city of Memphis — thank you'

editor@dailymemphian.com (Joe Tomek) — Sat, 21 Mar 2026 04:00:02 -0500

Before FESJC’s outgoing Executive Director Joe Tomek leaves for Australia, he has some advice for Memphians.

Guest Column: Remembering a legacy of courage, perseverance and love

editor@dailymemphian.com (Michele Phillips) — Sat, 7 Mar 2026 04:00:06 -0600

“We can take inspiration and hope from Lynda Lowery’s example. Every day, we see young people realize they have a voice and start to use it. As adults, we should be called to do the same.”

Opinion: Displaying the Ten Commandments in schools is a monumental error

editor@dailymemphian.com (Joseph Ryan Kelly) — Fri, 6 Mar 2026 04:00:09 -0600

“Someone will be forced to decide which biblical version to display and how to number the commandments. Any such choice would privilege one religious tradition over others.”

Opinion: Senator Hagerty on 'Making Memphis the safest city in America'

editor@dailymemphian.com (Bill Hagerty) — Thu, 5 Mar 2026 15:59:17 -0600

“One of the great gifts of public service is the ability to make an outsized difference for your fellow citizens. I would never have imagined earlier in my life I could help make Memphis safe and marketable.”

Opinion: Add library workers to the civil service without unnecessary steps

wayne.dowdy@memphistn.gov (G. Wayne Dowdy) — Wed, 4 Mar 2026 14:20:50 -0600

“I hope that the citizens of Memphis will vote for the referendum granting civil service protection to library workers, and that library employees be re-hired for jobs they secured through a fair and competitive process.”

Opinion: In a college search, the student is the constant

bbrooks@stmarysschool.org (Beverly Brooks ) — Wed, 4 Mar 2026 14:15:29 -0600

“Where your child goes to college will never be as important as what they do when they get there. Let your students take charge, take risks and know that they’re going to be OK. You are, too.”

Guest Column: Memphis is well placed for the next wave of growth

editor@dailymemphian.com (Chris Grayson) — Sun, 22 Feb 2026 04:00:01 -0600

“Rebuilding the electrical grid will be a central American industrial challenge. Memphis has a rare opportunity to be more than a pass-through point in that effort — it can become a place where the grid is built.”

Opinion: Why immigration enforcement is not the same struggle as the Civil Rights Movement

erica.a.middleton@gmail.com (Erica May) — Sat, 28 Feb 2026 19:26:46 -0600

“Supporting local charities and advocating for legislative reform are reasonable paths forward; interfering with active law enforcement is not.”

Opinion: Memphis, are you still thinking about the Roman Empire (and Yellow Fever)?

editor@dailymemphian.com (Amanda Gaggioli ) — Sat, 28 Feb 2026 19:27:33 -0600

“Historian Kyle Harper is coming to the University of Memphis to ask a chilling question: are we, like the Romans, on the cusp of societal collapse — or even mass extinction?”

Opinion: A simple blood test can help save more Tennesseans from colorectal cancer

editor@dailymemphian.com (Leighanne Soden) — Sat, 14 Feb 2026 04:00:08 -0600

“The impact of colorectal cancer is exacerbated for Black Tennesseans and people in rural areas who face even more challenges to getting screened and treated.”

Opinion: When school transportation fails, learning may not happen at all

editor@dailymemphian.com (Pedro Velasquez-Rodriguez) — Thu, 12 Feb 2026 04:00:05 -0600

“For about 26,000 Memphis students, access to school transportation is the difference between showing up ready to learn and not showing up at all.”

Opinion: The failure to fund pre-K hurts children and families

editor@dailymemphian.com (James "Bo" Griffin) — Tue, 3 Feb 2026 13:31:59 -0600

“We ask the Shelby County administration to find a path forward with First 8 Memphis so that our school system and all other operators are not expected to fill a sudden budgetary gap that we cannot afford.”